Now that I'm older I see there are some obvious references to Christianity but I try to enjoy the stories instead of over analysing. All the books areNow that I'm older I see there are some obvious references to Christianity but I try to enjoy the stories instead of over analysing. All the books are definitely worth a re-read. Narnia will always have its magic....more

On the pages my favorite artist comes to life and it's like sitting on his shoulder and witnessing all his struggles with art and women and saying gooOn the pages my favorite artist comes to life and it's like sitting on his shoulder and witnessing all his struggles with art and women and saying goodbye to him on his death bed. In a form of a novel this isn't probably the most reliable source and some things may not be true at all but you can get a basic idea what kind of a person and artist Henri was. Highly recommended to his admirers....more

I haven't seen the movie yet but I imagine that this is much more complex and less glittery. Nevertheless a quite quick read. Not amazing but I couldI haven't seen the movie yet but I imagine that this is much more complex and less glittery. Nevertheless a quite quick read. Not amazing but I could read more from Capote.

The three short stories I liked better, especially A Christmas Memory. It was beautiful and reminded me of my grandmother....more

Underneath the eloquence a shocking description about an immoral passion of a monster. Whatever Humbert Humbert claims, his twisted picture of the girUnderneath the eloquence a shocking description about an immoral passion of a monster. Whatever Humbert Humbert claims, his twisted picture of the girl isn't reality. He's filling in the gaps himself and imagining something there is not, forcing the reader to see Lo with his eyes. How much of the story is actually true? The writing is superb, it's only hinting the surroundings but tells us so much. Nabokov's use of words and allusions is in fact so brilliant, that you can't help but have this constant nagging feeling that you should actually feel sorry for Humbert....more

Though my curiosity of Rochester's motives to act the way he did wasn't fully satisfied I loved the writing style. The atmosphere of the West Indies wThough my curiosity of Rochester's motives to act the way he did wasn't fully satisfied I loved the writing style. The atmosphere of the West Indies was skillfully created without long descriptions. I could feel the pressing heat and smell the flowers and picking up small connections with Jane Eyre was interesting because these two are interwoven in a lot of different ways. I can't explain it properly but it was a bit dreamlike, especially the third part....more

Two Dumb MiceEven looking at this book reminds me of the story time before going to bed at my grandmother's house when I was little. There's a clear tTwo Dumb MiceEven looking at this book reminds me of the story time before going to bed at my grandmother's house when I was little. There's a clear teaching in every story but none of them seem outdated even though the book was published in the 1950s. Pictures are clear black and white made by hand. Unfortunately the copy I have starts to deteriorate pretty badly....more

Started off good. For a while I was sucked into Africa but then it kind of betrayed its promises. The characters are incredibly unbelievable and the tStarted off good. For a while I was sucked into Africa but then it kind of betrayed its promises. The characters are incredibly unbelievable and the things they do are just plain ridiculous. Before the middle I couldn't care less about the story anymore. The two stars are completely dedicated to the occasionally beautiful prose....more

It's been a while since I've had that "I can't move this book or something will attack me from behind it" feeling. With a heavy state of mind and a luIt's been a while since I've had that "I can't move this book or something will attack me from behind it" feeling. With a heavy state of mind and a lump in my throat, I soon began to regret that I currently have time for reading only after dark. Jackson's novel is surely the finest horror story I've read so far. If you're into blood and gore, skip it. This has so much more, for instance a theme about alienation and wanting to belong somewhere and love someone. I'm sure there's some fancy symbolism too but so far I haven't gotten through that part yet. The couple of discussions between the characters were also delightful and the writing was subtle and poetic.

It's actually the silences that frightened me most because you just waited for something to happen (there was actually a similar situation in the story). The air was stagnated and oppressive and the crooked house truly felt like it was alive. The mind of one of the characters slowly started to deteriorate and dissolve with the house's atmosphere while the feeling of loneliness, and at the same time lightness, grew and grew. It was actually quite sad because in the end the reader was dragged into it and was also left questioning paranoidically the thoughts of others: were you talking about me?

"Don't do it; insist on your cup of stars;once they have trapped you into being like everyoneelse you will never see your cup of stars again."...more

Chronological overview on stories written 200 years ago all the way to present day. A must read to every vampire fan. Not very chilling but I found soChronological overview on stories written 200 years ago all the way to present day. A must read to every vampire fan. Not very chilling but I found some interesting authors, like Turgenev, from whom I would like to try something else....more

Like so many Finnish children of a certain generation, I grew up watching the Moomins tv-series (there are still reruns every once in a while, and theLike so many Finnish children of a certain generation, I grew up watching the Moomins tv-series (there are still reruns every once in a while, and the magic has never faded) and visited Moomin World. Now, to honor Tove Jansson's centenary, I started a project of reading all her Moomin books. Maybe the rest of her body of work as well, if I have the time or enthusiasm.

I read The Moomins and the Great Flood a while back, so I started from this one, which got things going on a larger scale. When the 1992 animated movie premiered in Finland, my mom took me to see it. The part where Muskrat sits on the cake was funny, but mostly the oppressive mood stayed with me. I don't remember the happy ending, but I do remember the part where creatures big and small were hurrying away from Moominvalley with all their possessions, the frantic search for the kitten, and the red sky that reminded of the impending doom.

The book is very similar to the movie with minor differences (the change of the chump Silk Monkey into a kitten worked better for me), and having echoes of nuclear explosions and their scorching power to destroy everything. Everyone in the valley has their way of surviving in the middle of an increasing dread of an uncertain future. Moominmamma just keeps going with her chores and bakes a cake, but Moomintroll and Sniff travel to the Observatory of the Lonely Mountains to find out more about the approaching comet. On their journey they meet other familiar characters who join the Moomin family.

I love the Lonely Mountains. The name, everything it represents. Comet in Moominland is a very traditional adventure story, where exciting things happen when you wander a bit further from your backyard. It also introduces a lot of the basic qualities of the characters. Sniff is a selfish whiner, the fickle Snork Maiden is vain and loves beautiful things, and the practical Snork is obsessive over details and constantly belittles his sister Snork Maiden.

I don't care much about those particular characters above, but I believe the contrast between them and others work exactly because there's a little of them all in all of us. Snufkin on the other hand is one of the best ones, and here we meet him for the first time. There's a scene where someone's wondering about his living quarters at the mountains, but he sees beauty even in the starkest of sceneries (I hear ya, I love Iceland and deserts among other places). Snufkin also proves to be a great asset to the group with his experience in adventures. In fact, the book in whole reminds us that sometimes you need to take the more winding road to have fun and make the journey easier to bear. Don't walk the already trodden path, it's been used by those who are afraid.

"But that's how it is when you start wanting to have things. Now, I just look at them, and when I go away I carry them in my head. Then my hands are always free, because I don't have to carry a suitcase."

"It's funny about paths and rivers," he mused. "You see them go by, and suddenly you feel upset and want to be somewhere else--wherever the path or the river is going, perhaps."...more

Whimsical little stories that are tied together by the Hobgoblin's hat, which has the magical power to change things into something else. A lot of theWhimsical little stories that are tied together by the Hobgoblin's hat, which has the magical power to change things into something else. A lot of these episodic scenes are the ones that I'm most familiar with because of the tv-series.

The Hattifatteners are equally creepy here, and part of the reason why I've never felt comfortable with them is that they look brain-dead. They don't do anything, they just are and wander around in hordes looking like the ghosts of wet socks with limited means of communication. At least they jolted the vapid Snork Maiden and her vanity a bit, and made Hemulen to think twice before stealing other people's property again. He was so obsessive about his collection, that he didn't realize to stop and marvel at the beauty of it. Moominmamma on the other hand was thinking about herself for once, and represented all mothers who occasionally want some peace and listen to the rain while taking a nap.

Although this were fun, I didn't really get as much out of this as I did from the previous book. It wasn't necessarily the episodic structure, but the lightheartedness. I'm mostly looking forward to the later books, that have a different approach and that are apparently more philosophical. Not to say this wasn't bad, quite the opposite.

The ending of the last story here was superb. A dreamy garden party with fireworks, lanterns, Moominpappa's punch, fruit, berries, sandwiches, Moominmamma making pancakes in a bathtub, and loads of dancing and having fun. Like Moominpappa says, summer in the Nordic countries is short, so everyone should be as happy as possible.

Everything ties into acceptance and growing up. The hat might be able to change things, but no person can change another one. Sometimes we have to let others leave so that they can come back again. Everybody's different with different needs. Some should have the opportunity to go on adventures by themselves, and find the peace to enjoy the company of others again.

"Someone who eats pancakes and jam can't be so awfully dangerous. You can talk to him."...more

Here Moominpappa gets the chance to tell with his own words about his younger years. A dismal childhood in an orphanage and the feeling of not being lHere Moominpappa gets the chance to tell with his own words about his younger years. A dismal childhood in an orphanage and the feeling of not being loved or appreciated changes into great adventures with Hodgkins and his ship. Moominpappa's narrative voice is pompous and self-centered but not the least bit annoying. The satirizing of the memoir genre gives a special air to the whole book.

Several of my favourite scenes from the tv-series are included: a female Hemulen gets rescued from Groke and tries to push her educational values on the ship's bohemian coffee-drinking crew, the deep sea dive with all the mysterious fish with lamps, and the slightly inept Island Ghost.

Two characters have been more hazy to me until now. Joxter is very similar to Snufkin, only a bit more lazy. Snufkin seems to have inherited all his good qualities: criticism towards excessive rules, drifting, and enjoying life. Mymble is busy popping out new kids every once in a while and seems to be very liberal in her parenting (reading scary stories to her brood at night and merely laughing at their shenanigans), not to mention the affair with Joxter. Good for you, Mymble, although I'm not sure Joxter is a very suitable father.

There's of course the one thread throughout which gives this a more serious undertone. After gaining his independence Moominpappa constantly struggles between the need of having his own family and the need for adventure. There's a beautiful and poignant passage at the end where Moominpappa muses that friends are starting families or gaining a new position in the world. They begin to be scared of the rain while he is becoming increasingly lonely.

Although it becomes evident later on that despite of settling down Moominpappa never abandons the possibility to go on an adventure, and learns to balance his needs with domesticity, the conflict between the two opposite desires (along with the feeling of disappointment of never achieving enough) takes the book into darker waters and paves the road to later themes.

"I cannot stress enough the perils of your friends marrying or becoming court inventors. One day you are all a society of outlaws, adventurous comrades and companions who will be pushing off somewhere or other when things become tiresome; you have all the world to choose from, just by looking at the map… And then, suddenly, they’re not interested any more. They want to keep warm. They’re afraid of rain. They start collecting big things that can’t fit in a rucksack. They talk only of small things. They don’t like to make sudden decisions and do something contrariwise. Formerly they hoisted sail; now they carpenter little shelves for porcelain mugs."

"'Well,' said Hodgkins, 'perhaps he really is interested in everything, only he doesn't overdo it. For ourselves there is always one single interest. You want to become. I want to do. My nephew wants to have. But the Joxter just lives.'

Interesting read about the days when the Western civilization ran out of space and decided to turn to China. Really nice descriptions scattered aroundInteresting read about the days when the Western civilization ran out of space and decided to turn to China. Really nice descriptions scattered around here and there but in about halfway through it all became a bit exhausting and indifferent to me. The passion just wasn't delivered to the reader. If it had I would have probably given this a 5 star rating....more

You know, it had its moments. Richard Grenvile was a realistic, charismatic, almost an antihero type of man. With lots of faults he always kept me queYou know, it had its moments. Richard Grenvile was a realistic, charismatic, almost an antihero type of man. With lots of faults he always kept me questioning his motives and whether he was capable of something other than cruelty and misbehaving. So it was definitely justified for him being the center of everything and part of the book title. But then, I was constantly reminded by these same lines by the protagonist where she reminded that he had many faults along (yes, I know that already, get on with it). Because of that it was a bit too long and it didn't had as much beautiful passages as in Rebecca....more

The plot was winding and the descriptions came suddenly from nowhere like to just fill in the space. There are many authors who are better in descriptThe plot was winding and the descriptions came suddenly from nowhere like to just fill in the space. There are many authors who are better in descriptive writing. It should give you an image to your head but this time everything was in fragments. Not necessarily waste of time but wasn't at all impressed. I hope other works by Bellow are different....more

Yet again I'm in the minority because I didn't care about this that much. Writing style is nice and the story is ok, maybe there's something up for aYet again I'm in the minority because I didn't care about this that much. Writing style is nice and the story is ok, maybe there's something up for a discussion too, but I didn't get inside everything....more

Nice playing with words (which puts you a little closer to the characters) and somewhat interesting story but I didn't really fall in love with it asNice playing with words (which puts you a little closer to the characters) and somewhat interesting story but I didn't really fall in love with it as most have. There's nothing much to say really. I just didn't get the charm of Alex, for example. Period....more

For some reason whenever I picked this up it felt like ploughing a muddy field. Lumpy and hard to get through. I found out some of the symbolism in itFor some reason whenever I picked this up it felt like ploughing a muddy field. Lumpy and hard to get through. I found out some of the symbolism in it which made sense but to me this whole book was not a magical treasure chest with hidden meanings but simply one of the most badly written pieces of work I've come across in a long time. Liking it just for the symbolism is not my cup of tea. I need more than boys turning to savages who supposedly for some reason need to kill each other and a bit less shattered writing, please....more

During the first half I was interested and then it kind of flopped. The person who wrote the introduction in my edition mentioned that the narrative lDuring the first half I was interested and then it kind of flopped. The person who wrote the introduction in my edition mentioned that the narrative lacks development, the dialogue is sometimes weak, and most of the people are two-dimensional, existing only to explain a political point. Funny, because those things explain why I didn't like it as much as I would've wanted. Interesting and groundbreaking ideas don't yet make a good novel. Orwell's was more like a ham-fisted effort to shout political grievances. Flat and uninspired....more

Oh how I feel ashamed for not liking this as much as I thought. But let me say this first : at some level I felt related to the protagonist during theOh how I feel ashamed for not liking this as much as I thought. But let me say this first : at some level I felt related to the protagonist during the New York days. Some chapters ringed so true in my mind that it was scary. The problem really was the vagueness of the writing. Although I'm a fan of huge descriptions and such I can enjoy some delicate word using, too. In this it just didn't work, don't know why. As I said, the New York part was wonderful. Also, I'm looking forward to reading Plath's diary and poem collections but didn't see the masterpiece material in The Bell Jar which left me a bit hollow and indifferent....more